Apps / Websites

Medical Detectives…Need help with that difficult diagnoses?

By February 4th, 2015   Apps / Websites, Healthcare Services

Is your doctor having trouble diagnosing your illness? Look into CrowdMed,  www.crowdmed.com. – I first learned about this on the Fox News Medical Report one Sunday morning.  Their doctors gave it very positive reviews.

CrowdMed connects you with thousands of medical experts who have collaborated to solve hundreds of medical mysteries that had stumped individual doctors for years.

How does CrowdMed work?

1 Register and Submit Your Case – Submit your case anonymously and be instantly connected to thousands of medical experts who collaborate to get you the answers you need.

2 You Get More Attention from the Crowd – Crowdsourcing enables anyone with applicable expertise, anywhere in the world, to collaborate on solving even the most difficult problems. Most of CrowdMed’s Medical Detectives are people with professional careers in medicine, healthcare, and science, devoting their time and expertise to help you get answers.

3 Collaborate with Medical Detectives – Medical Detectives can access your case once it’s active on our site. Medical Detectives may also use chat and discussion features to ask questions, request additional details, and discuss your case.

4 Get Your Results – At the end of this process, you’ll receive a report which includes the top diagnostic suggestions and solutions, along with supporting medical references. You and your doctor will then use this report to help determine your final diagnosis and treatment plan.

Compensation for services?  You can always submit your case without Medical Detective Compensation, but they recommend that you offer a cash incentive to be shared by the Medical Detectives who contribute the most to your case. Many Medical Detectives donate these proceeds to charity. If the top diagnostic suggestions you receive are not confirmed to be accurate by your doctor, you can get a full refund of your compensation offer per the Money-Back Guarantee. In addition to a free case submission option, CrowdMed offers three paid packages: Lite ($99), Standard ($299), and Premium ($499) packages, each providing unique benefits. All are eligible for the full Money-Back Guarantee.

Useful Website: healthgrades

By December 17th, 2014   Apps / Websites, Human Resources, Wellness

The website, www.healthgrades.com, allows individuals to search for a doctor based on name, specialty, condition, procedure, and/or geographic location. Users can filter results by many options including Insurance Provider. While the home page does not have a field to input insurance, once you enter a search (see screen shot below), on the far right you will see an “other criteria” section where a consumer can filter by insurance carrier. However, If you input a specific provider the insurance accepted is hard to find. It is buried under phone and address – you need to scroll to the bottom of the page.

Caveat: Be sure to check with the provider that they are in-network. i.e. They may be listed as accepting Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, however BCBS-FL has three different networks; BlieOptions, BlueCare and BlueSelect. The site does not give you a carrier’s specific network choice. (The company tells me they are looking to add plan level detail to in the future.)

Rx Impact – Bid Rx – Prescriptions for Less (Part 2 of 2)

By May 21st, 2014   Apps / Websites, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Human Resources

BidRx (www.bidrx.com) is a website built by pharmacists that links consumers with pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies, so consumers can make better decisions when purchasing prescription drugs. BidRx provides the information needed to identify the best value drug; then pharmacies compete for filling prescriptions. Consumers can

  • See cost of prescriptions (original plus alternatives) and services.
  • See list of participating pharmacies in your geographic area.
  • Get bids from pharmacies that want to earn your business.

Employers can use the site to help communicate the true cost of prescriptions. Employees see the prescriptions’ maximum price before bids (a discounted price), alternative prescriptions with discounted prices, and competitive bids (even lower discounted prices). Employees can use the site to lower drug costs. 

Important – Medications ordered through BidRx.com may be out-of-network and thus not apply towards the deductible. Therefore, BidRx may be used best for drugs with bid prices less than your copay.  So if you find a deal, check your network price and copay, too.  If the savings is worth it, buy it.

When registering, you will need a referral code, feel free to use our code. EBA’s Referral Code is 35FFN.

Examples

  • Simvastatin (generic for Zocor and alternative for Lipitor and Crestor) for lowering cholesterol usually has a generic co-pay of $10 or $15 for a 30 day’s supply.  EBA was able to get a bid price of $3.40 for a 90 day’s supply.  That’s an annual savings of $75.
  • Amlodipine (generic for Norvasc) for lowering blood pressure usually has a generic co-pay of $10 or $15 for a 30 day’s supply.  EBA was able to get a bid price of $3.68 for a 90 day’s supply.  That’s an annual savings of $75.
  • Nexium (the purple pill) retails at $762 for a 40 mg 90 day supply. BidRx price was $660. Similar drugs (generics) cost just over $20.

Useful App – Healthspek (Personal & Family Health Record)

By February 26th, 2014   Apps / Websites, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Wellness

Healthspek is your own personal health record. And your family’s too as you can add each family member for a complete record. Healthspek allows users to see their own personal health care information.

The home screen is the customizable ‘myDashboard’. – Select any member to track their conditions, refill meds, track lab results, record immunizations, allergies, supplements, procedures, and family history. Records reside on your iPad and is stored securely on Healthspek’s cloud-based servers. Lose your iPad, you’ll never lose your chart.

  • myProfile – A section for reference information – personal profiles.  Add personal information, doctors, insurance and emergency contact.contact.
  • Medications – store entire medications list, current and past. Manage medications with med reminders and automated refill alerts.
  • ChartNow – Portability, readily accessible, displayable on any browser (real time access for you, your doctor), email records, etc…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzNTlShIc7Q

Recognized by Health Informatics Nurse Blog as a Top Pick and Tab Times as a 5 best iPad apps for medical and health care.

New features are being added regularly.

 

Useful App – 3in4 Need More

By February 5th, 2014   Apps / Websites, Healthcare, Long Term Care, Wellness

Odds are that more than a few of us have had to deal with a family member, immediate or extended, who has required assisted living needs. Maybe they had to research specialty doctors, care centers or care providers; possibly for a member living hundreds of miles away.

The 3in4 Need More is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of planning for ones long term care needs. It is exclusively dedicated to promoting the importance of planning for long term care needs. The website www.3in4needmore.com has an information center with informational websites, telephone hotlines, calculators, information about long-term care coverage, a planning guide and finding a senior living community.

Website
www.3in4needmore.com

3in4 iPhone demo

Useful Apps – Drugs.com Medication Guide

By November 6th, 2013   Apps / Websites, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Human Resources, Wellness

Need help with medication management and adherence?  – Users can lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records.

Key Features

• My Drug List – Add your medications to assemble medical information in a simple, easy to read personalized format. Access consumer information, FDA alerts, drug interactions, plus food, allergy and medical condition interactions.

• Complete Drugs A to Z listings – Fast search, accurate suggestion engine and boasts the most comprehensive database of drug information available online.

• Interactions Checker – Provides a list of interactions that may occur when different drugs are taken at the same time. Also checks food interactions automatically!

• Additional Features: Symptom Checker looks up specialized databases for side effects and dosage information. Not quite sure how to spell a drug name? Use the phonetic search. Pill Identifier identifies meds simply by entering an imprint, shape or color.

Pill Identifier App

Know of a useful app in the health care, LTC, Rx or related industry? Send it to us, we may blog about it.

Useful Apps – HealthAdvocate

By September 18th, 2013   Apps / Websites, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Human Resources, Wellness

ad·vo·cate (verb – used with object)  to act in support or in behalf of another; intercessor
Synonyms – champion, proponent, backer

Do your employees need help navigating the healthcare system? Are they spending valuable time on hold trying to manage their health care needs? Family member needs? Losing productivity? This App is for you. Use the app to explore:

  • Finding the right doctors
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Help resolving insurance claims
  • Assistance with eldercare
  • Obtaining cost estimates
  • Working with insurance companies
  • Answering questions
  • Assistance in transferring medical records

No smartphone? No problem! Health Advocate members can access Health Cost Estimator and other features online through their member website, or by calling Health Advocate for personalized support.

Bonus – Services are extended to employee, spouse, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law.

healthadvocate-app-logo

Know of a useful app in the health care, LTC, Rx or related industry? Send it to us, we may blog about it.

(Excerpts taken from Health Advocate marketing material.)

Useful Apps – iTriage

By August 14th, 2013   Apps / Websites, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Human Resources, Wellness

tri·age (n) –  the practice of sorting medical conditions to determine priority for treatment.

Founded by two emergency medicine physicians, iTriage® is a free mobile app and website that helps answer the two most common medical questions: “What could be wrong?” and “Where can I go?”. It does not replace a doctor, but it can help you research your condition decide the level of urgency and direct you toward the proper care.

Know of a useful app in the health care, LTC, Rx or related industry? Send it to us, we may blog about it.

 

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits. We are a broker helping companies with their Health & Welfare Benefits. We also help companies revaluate PEO Services, deciding if a PEO is a good choice and if so selecting and implementing the PEO.

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